Vehicle searchlight



J. E. GENN.

VEHICLE SEARCHLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 1918.

Patented July 13, 1920.

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VEHICLE SEARCHLIGHT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9. 1918.

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- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN E. GENN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 STEWART-WERNER SPEEDOM- ETER CORPORATION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

VEHICLE-SEARCHLIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 13,1920.

Application filed September 9, 1918. Serial No. 253,185.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN E. GENN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Searchlights, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accom anying drawings, forming a part thereo i his invention relates to a light projector of the type used as'a Searchlight or spotlight on automobiles for supplementing or replacing the fixed headlights in providing a driving light. It consists in the features and elements and their combinations hereinafter described and shown in the drawings as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fi re 1 is a plan view partly in section showing the outer casing of a lamp embodying this invention together with means by which it is mounted on the vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a detail section taken on a larger scale as indicated at line 22 on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the lamp shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail section taken as indicated at line 44 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a detail section taken as indicated at line 5-5 on Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a detail plan view of the mount .ing and focusing means for the incandescent electric lamp bulb used in the projector.

Fig. 7 is a transverse section taken as indicated at line 77 on Fig. 3, and showing the relative locations of the mirror, the red light screen and the dimmer coil.

Fig. 8 is a wiring diagram for the control switch and dimmer coil.

As seen in Fig. 1 the bullet-shaped lamp casing, 1, is provided with a tubular handled member, 2, whose end portion, 3, is bent so that whereas the intermediate portion, 2, extends laterally from the casing, 1, said portion, 3, extends obliquely and rearwardly from the part, 2, serving as a crank arm by which the part, 2, and the connecting casing, 1, may be rotated about a substantially horizontal axis in a carrier memher, 4. The latter consists of a piece of sheet metal having its middle tightly wrapped around the tubular handle, 2, and its end portions, 5, extending in parallel plane for pivotal engagement by a bolt, 6, in

a bracket member, 7, which is secured to a substantially upright element, 8, on the vehicle (which may be a portion of the wind shield or a brace rod supporting it) by means of a clamp, 9. Thesaid middle portion of the carrier, 4, is bifurcated, and the slot thus formed is occupied by a ring, 10, encircling a bushing, 11, disposed between the carrier, 4, and the tubular handle, 2, said ring, 10, and bushing, 11, being made fast with respect to the handle, 2, by means of a set screw, 12, and thus adapted to rotate with said handle and with the lamp casing, 1, in the carrier, 4. Springs, 13, may be rovided as shown in Fig. 2, to furnish a rictional engagement between the carrier and the bushing, 11, and the tightness of such engagement may be regulated by means of clamp screws, 14, connecting the arms, 5, at a plane between the bushing, 11, and the pivot bolt, 6. Said bolt, 6, is substantially vertical in position, and rotation of the carrier, 4, about its axis is possible under. fric tional control of the spring washer, 15, inserted between the bracket arm, 7, and the lower arms, 5, as seen in Fig. 2.

The ring, 10, is formed with a lug, 16, projecting for engagement with a corresponding lug, 17, of the bracket arm 7, to limit the range of vertical swing of the beam of light projected from the casing, 1, in accordance with various laws directed to the safety of pedestrians and approaching vehicles; by means of the set screw, 12, the ring, 10, may be adjusted so that the projected beam of light will never reach a horizontal direction, but may be so limited as to strike the road at any desired distance ahead of the vehicle, say 50 to 75 or 100 feet, thus avoiding the danger of blinding 1i edestrians or drivers of other vehicles by its glare.

Whereas most searchlights and spotlights of this nature have beenarranged for adjustment. about their horizontal and veitical pivotal mountings by manual engagement of the lamp casing itself or of a handle closely associated therewith, it will be noted that the present design permits the handle portion, 3, to extend well within the outline of the vehicle body itself, so that if a storm curtain such as indicated at A in Fig. 1 is employed, this handle, 3, may extend through a small aperture in such curtain and the Searchlight will be conveniently a tube.

18, is formed with the usual tubular base,

20, having pins, 21, projecting for engagement with bayonet slots, 22, in a carrier tube, 23, slidably mounted in a bushing, 24, secured at the center of the reflector, 19. \Vithin the tube, 23, may be mounted the usual conducting element for electrical connection with the contact member carried in the end of the lamp stem, 20, and not shown in the drawings, such connector being provided with binding posts, 25, to which the circuit wires may be attached. Secured to the rear portion of the carrier tube, 23, is an extension tube, 26, guided at its extreme rear end in the cylindrical shell of a re tatably mounted cam member, 27, whose duplicate cams, 28, engage lugs or ears, 29, cut and bent to extend outwardly from the walls of the tube as shown in Fig. 5. The shell, 27, is journaled for rotation in the casing, 1, by engagement of its hub, 30, in an aperture in the rear wall of the casing, and a screw, 31, threaded into said hub, 30, and rendered effectively integral therewith by a lock nut, 32, within the shell, 27, serves as a means by which the shell, 27, and its earns 28, vmay be rotated, the slotted head, 33, of said screw extending outside the casing, 1, and slightly overhanging the rear all surrounding the aperture in which the hub, 30, of the cam shell is journaled. The extension tube, 26, is prevented from rotating by the engagement of its forwardly projecting arms, 34, in longitudinal slots 01 notches, 35, formed in the bushing, 24, but is yieldingly urged rearwardly for contact of its ears, 29, with the cams, 28, by means of a coiled compression spring, 36, reacting between washers, 37 and 38, which are supported respectively by a shoulder formed onthe bushing, 24, and a second set of ears or lugs, 39, bent from the wall of the tube,'26, as plainly shown in Figs. 3 and 6. The bending out of these lugs, 39, and also the lugs, 29, and cutting away some additional material, formsapertures or windows, 40, in; 'the walls of the tube, 26, through which the circuit wires will have access to the binding posts, 25, within the Understanding that the spring, 36, maintains the lugs, 29, in constant contact with the cam surfaces, 28, it will be seen that rotation of the cam shell, 27, by means of a screw driver engaging the slot of the screw head, 33, will cause longitudinal movement of the shell, 26, and the connected tube, 23, with respect to the reflector, l9, advancing or retracting the lamp bulb, 18, for focusing it with respect to said refiector.

As indicated .in Figs. 3 and 7, the smooth contour of the upper half of the casing, 1, is not exactly duplicated by the lower half, but; at a point a little rearwardly of the middle of the length, the bottom wall of the casing bends abruptly upward, to meet a substantially horizontal portion extending abruptly forward from the rear wall at a point considerably below the center or 'axial line. This horizontal wall, 41, is not ontirely flat, but as seen in Fig. '7, its lateral portions, 42, curve downwardly forming a;

kind of hood extending rcarwardly from the window, 43, which is cut in the abruptly vertical wall, 44. Inside the casing a circular plate, 45, is rotatably mounted upon the bushing, 24, as seenin Fig. 3, and this plate has a mirror surface, 46, at one part of its area, and a red celluloid screen, 47, secured over an opening in another portion in the area of the plate, 45, said opening being of substantially the same shape and size as the window, 43, in the wall, 44. A hole, 48, in the reflector, 19, permits some light from the lamp, 18, to illuminate the red screen, 47, when the latter is adjusted to register with the window, 43, thus providing a rear signal or tail light for the car. The rotative adjustment of the plate, 45, for re istering either the mirror, 46, or the red screen, 47, with the opening, 43, is accomplished manually by means of a knob, 49, projecting from the plate, 45, at one side of the mirror as seen in Fig. 7, and occupying a notch, 50, in the edge of the window, 43,-a similar notch, 51, being formed at the opposite side of the window to accommodate the knob, 49, and limit movement of the plate, 45, when the screen, 47, is brought into operative position.

Preferably when a vehicle, provided with a Searchlight of this character, is left standing at the curb or elsewhere it is desirable to dim the light to some extent, but to leave sufficient light to serve as a marker for the vehicle to prevent others from colliding with it in the dark. The dimming expedient provided in this construction consists in a coil, 52, of resistance wire, preferably mounted on the plate, 45, and connected in the circuit, or at least adapted to be connected into the circuit at will by means of the rotatable switch handle, 53, which constitutes the end wall or cover of the bent tubular member, 3, by which the searchlight is adjusted in its mounting. From the wiring diagram in Fig. 8, it will be understood that such switch member, 53, can be rotated to a position in which the dimmer coil, 52, is connected in series with the lamp, 18, or to a different position in which an ordinary conductor of comparatively low resistance provides the connection for giving the lamp its full illuminating power, and thus a third position of the switch handle, 53, would disconnect the lump from the source of electrical energy, thus shutting off the light.

For utilizing the light of the lamp, 18, to the fullest extent, a secondary reflector, 54, is mounted in the casing betweenthe cover glass, 55, and the forward edge of the projecting reflector, 19, so that any direct rays from the lamp which would fall beyond the said forward edge of the reflector, 19, will be caught by said secondary reflector, 54, whose curvature is such as to return said rays by reflection to the forward surface of the lamp bulb, 18. This surface of the bulb is silvered or otherwise rendered highly reflective over an area, 56, so that the rays returned from reflector, 54, will be thrown forwardly and out of the lamp through the cover glass, 55, thus increasing the brilliancy and power of the beam of light.

I claim:

1. In combination with a lamp body hav- "ing a supporting arm extending horizontally therefrom, a lamp-carrying member in which said supporting arm is journaled, comprising a continuous integral strip having its middle portion bent around said arm to embrace it, and having the end portions extended parallel to each other; a bracket member which is interposed between said parallel end portions, and a clamping bolt adapted to serve also as a pivot, which extends through said parallel arms and the intervening bracket member for clamping the said arms against the opposite sides of the bracket member, and simultaneously clamping the bent middle portion onto the supporting arm.

2. In the structure defined in claim 1, a resilient washer interposed on the clamping pivot bolt between the bracket member and one of said parallel arms for permittin, the clamping action to cause the arm embracing portion of the strip to clamp said supporting arm rigidly without clamping the said parallel arms rigidly to the bracket member.

3. In the construction defined in claim 1,

g a clamping bolt extended. through the two parallel arms between the embraced supporting arm and the bracket member for clamping the strip onto the embraced supporting arm by pressure in excess of that which is applied to the clamping pivot bolt for clamping onto the bracket member.

4. In the combination set out in claim 1, the portion of said strip which embraces the supporting arm being bifurcated and a collar secured to such supporting arm and accommodated between the two portions of said bifurcated strip to stop the arm against longitudinal movement therein.

5. In the construction defined in claim 1, means on the supporting arm and Ti id therewitlnzhaving an approximately ra ial lug or abutment, and a stop on' the bracket positioned to engage said adjustable abutment for limiting the range of adjustment about the axis of the horizontal supporting arm, said abutment being formed on a collar secured to the supporting arm, and the lampcarrying member in which said arm is ouriialed being bifurcated to accommodate said collar between its two portions embracing the arm.

6. In the combination set out in claim 1, the portion of said supporting arm which extends beyond the lamp-carrying member in which it is journaled being bent with respect to said journaled portion to serve as a handle for adjusting the lamp body in its mounting.

7. In a Searchlight, the combination with a focusing reflector and a casing in which it is mounted having a back wall spaced back from the reflector; an electric lamp bulb and a carrying tube therefor; a guide bearing for the forward end of the tube secured at the center of the reflector; a guide bearing for the rear end of the tube mounted rotatively on the back wall; the forward end bearing and the tube having cooperating members for guiding the tube longitudinally and preventing its rotation, and the rear bearing in the tube having cooperative cam means for forcing the tube forward by the rotation of the rear bearing and a spring which resists such forward movement of the tube.

8. In a Searchlight, in combination with a casing and a lamp mounted therein, the easing having a rear opening and a member mounted for turning on a fore-and-aft axis, having an opaque part which at one position closes the opening and another part consisting of a translucent colored screen which at another position within the range of turning of said member about said axis registers with said opening in the casing.

9. In the construction defined in claim 8, the portion of the rear surface of said opaque part which is exposed through said opening being a mirror surface.

10. In the construction defined in claim 8, a reflector for the lamp positioned within the casing and forward of the translucent screen-carrying member. said reflector being adapted to project the light forwardly and having an aperture to admit light rearwardly to the aperture in the casing for illuminating said translucent screen portion when it was registered with the casing opening.

tion of said member.

12. In the construction defined in claim 8, :the opening in the casing being formed in an approxinmtely vertical portion of the rear 10 wall thereof, the casing having a portion which extends rearwardly beyond the plane of the portion having said opening, forming a hood or vizor with respect to said opening.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 15 my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 31st day of August, 1918.

. J. E. GENN. 

